Leamington 1 Histon 0: Dodd steps up to score the winner as Brakes step it up in the second half

A second-half Matt Dodd penalty was all that separated the teams and Histon can feel hard done by after an enterprising first-half display which saw Tony Breeden by far the busier of the two keepers.

However, after affording the visitors far too much space in the opening 45 and coughing up possession with alarming regularity, Leamington were a much more combative outfit after the interval and saw out their victory with relative ease.

There was little between the two sides in the opening 20 minutes, with David McNamee, making his league debut for Brakes, charging down a goalbound shot from David October and Ricky Johnson heading over a Stephan Morley free-kick at the other end.

Eugene Libertucci failed to get decent purchase on a header, allowing Breeden to save comfortably before Johnson had the clearest opportunity of the half.

McNamee won the ball and instigated a quick counter which saw Stefan Moore breaking at pace into the Histon half. Moore then threaded an inch-perfect ball to Johnson, who with only the keeper to beat, took an unneccesary touch, allowing Calum Kitscha to race out and block his shot.

The let-off spurred on the visitors, who, with captain Remy Clerima marauding forward from right-back, enjoyed their best spell of the half.

A measured volley at the far post from Clerima was straight at Breeden, who then had to be at his best to save point-blank from Lewis Taafe after a fine one-touch move down the left had unlocked the Brakes defence.

Taafe’s trickery on the edge of the box presented him with a second shooting opportunity, but again Breeden was equal to it.

There was respite when Dodd was crudely hacked down by the otherwise impressive Jay Dowie, which led to the livewire winger receiving treatment and the perpetrator a yellow card.

Joe Magunda’s last-ditch lunge on the edge of the box denied Clerima a one-on-one with Magunda coming off the worst and failing to return for the second period.

Lee Chilton had the final chance of the opening 45 minutes after Dodd had hit the byline but, as with Johnson, he delayed his shot and the defender was able to block.

Craig Owen entered the fray for the second period and his introduction allowed Brakes to get a grip of the midfield.

However, it was Brakes fans who suffered the first alarm, with Breeden coming perilously close to carrying the ball back over the line after claiming Peter Grant’s header from under the bar.

Josh Hawker was off-target with a fierce long-range shot before Johnson headed Morley’s free-kick over the bar.

Histon’s slick build-up play of the first half was nowhere to be seen as Brakes defended from the front and Owen was the next to threaten, with a deflection taking his shot inches wide of the post with Kitscha beaten.

A deep cross from Morley was then headed on to the top of the net by Johnson, while Chilton was unable to guide Breeden’s long clearance on goal with Kitscha caught in no-man’s land.

Histon gave notice of their threat with a slick break down the right, but Taafe was unable to produce the finish it deserved, tamely sidefooting at Breeden from ten yards.

It was to prove a costly miss as Leamington moved in front in the 77th minute.

A poorly delivered corner found its way through to Dodd, who hit the ground under the slightest of contacts from Grant.

Referee Michael D’Aguilar pointed to the spot and Dodd calmly sidefooted home the penalty with Kitscha having been sent the wrong way.

Hawker and Liam Daly both came close to doubling the hosts’ lead, with two tame long-range shots making up Histon’s token response as the game drifted to a conclusion.

brakes: Tony Breeden, David McNamee, Stephan Morley, Joe Magunda (Craig Owen, 46), Liam Daly, Josh Green, Matt Dodd (Luke Bottomer, 90), Josh Hawker, Stefan Moore (Lee Moore, 85), Ricky Johnson, Lee Chilton. Subs not used: Jake Heath, Lewis Fenney.

HISTON: Calum Kitscha, Remy Clerima, David October, Omar Beckles, Peter Grant, Eugene Libertucci (Grant Robert, 86), Lewis Taaffe, Jay Dowie (Charlie Day, 82), Kaine Sheppard (Caludio Hoban, 70), Nathan Hicks, Nick Freeman. Subs not used: Michael Clunan, Salim Relizani.